Texas Football

Longhorns WR in trouble with the law, plus 2014 commitments in the recap.

By Greg Tepper  DCTF Associate Editor

It's Monday, and if you spent your weekend away from the computer  --  you know, actually doing things --  don't worry: we're here to catch you up on everything you need to know about the weekend that was on the Texas football scene!

(And, as always, if you see something missing, let me know via e-mail or Twitter.)

Without further ado, your TexasFootball.com Offseason Weekend Recap for March 18, 2013.

Jurisprudence

It was, all in all, a pretty slow few days across the Lone Star State’s football scene, but it wasn’t without its big stories. Unfortunately, though, it’s not the kind that coaches and fans want to see in their newspapers.

Late last week, Texas wide receiver Cayleb Jones was arrested by Austin police and charged with felony aggravated assault in connection with an incident in which he allegedly hit a fellow UT athlete. According to the police report, the incident took place in the early morning hours of Feb. 22, with Jones allegedly punching Texas tennis player Joey Swaysland as part of a dispute over an ex-girlfriend of Jones’. Swaysland suffered a broken jaw from the incident.

Texas coach Mack Brown announced that Jones is suspended from the football team until the legal process runs its course. Jones, an Austin High product, caught two passes for 35 yards as a freshman last season and was expected to take on a bigger role in the Longhorns’ offense in 2013.

There are obviously a number of steps to go in this story, but if Jones does not return to the football team, it represents a pretty serious blow to the Longhorns’ wide receiver corps, both in 2013 and beyond.

2014 Recruiting

On to more positive news from the Texas football scene, as a pair of recruits in the class of 2014 made verbal pledges this weekend.

Late last week, one very big shoe in the 2014 recruiting season dropped with Pflugerville Hendrickson RB Samaje Perine pledging to Oklahoma. Perine is widely considered to be one of the very best running backs in the state – we certainly think very, very highly of him here at Dave Campbell’s Texas Football – and it’s easy to see why. First of all, Perine is built like a house: 5’11, 235 pounds of bruising mass that allows him to break through tackles and explode at the point of attack. But that bulk is only exacerbated by his tremendous speed – he’s  been clocked at around 4.4 in the 40-yard dash – which gives him that unique breakaway speed. Last year, he was terrific for the Hawks, running for 1,993 yards and 14 touchdowns in just 11 games. When it’s all said and done, it’s probable that Perine is the state’s best running back in the class of 2014, and that makes him quite the acquisition for the Sooners.

One of the big surprises of the 2013 recruiting season was the surge from Rice, who parlayed their momentum on the field into a tremendous recruiting surge to close out the 2013 class. That momentum appears to have carried over to 2014, as the Owls picked up a commitment this weekend from Dallas Lincoln DT Aaron Jenkins. A load at 6-3 and 290 pounds, Jenkins is, first and foremost, a run-stuffer, leading the team with 99 tackles last season. He has an explosive first step, which usually requires a double-team from opponents ,and while he loses a bit of steam after that second step, he’s strong enough to get where he needs to be during that time. He played both ways for the Tigers last season, starting at left guard as well, but will almost certainly stick on defense at Rice. And with explosiveness like that, he’s likely to win over David Bailiff and company very quickly.

Greg Tepper is the associate editor of Dave Campbell's Texas Football and TexasFootball.com.

He can be reached via e-mail, via Twitter (@Tepper) and via the DCTF Facebook page.